5.0 out of 5 stars What a great book!

A.C. · 20 July 2025

No Bullsh*t Leadership by Chris Hirst, what a book!This is strategy and leadership without the fluff. Clear, sharp, and packed with practical advice — one of the most insightful breakdowns of leadership I’ve ever come across.One idea that really resonated with me was Chris’s take on trivial pursuits — the importance of having all segments of life in place, not just work. It’s a reminder that balance matters, and that even the smaller, seemingly less important things contribute to your overall leadership presence and personal wellbeing. That really hit home and helped me give myself permission to take a step back and recharge.From navigating the strategy path from A to B with clarity, to leading with confidence and creating high-performing teams, this book delivers real-world leadership that works. With support from Sir Clive Woodward, it’s a must-read

5.0 out of 5 stars Clear and simple leadership philosophy

J.A. · 12 January 2020

For a short read and considering the repositories of leadership knowledge out there, some generated (and regurgitated) by esteemed academic institutions, Chris Hirst’s no magic bullet approach seeks to promote leadership as a craft “honed through practice and by failures.” It certainly packs a mighty punch in convincing the "unhistorical leaders” among us from falling for an ingrained falsehood: leadership is determined by “education, birth or money...denying, as it does, the benefits to society of better [and diverse] leaders.”The intended, and somewhat noble aim is to wipe away the mystique that surrounds the subject, starting by reducing it down to the mutually dependent arts of listening and learning, which are referred to as “muscles that can be trained and developed.” It kind of makes sense, for topically, even Trump (though admittedly from a wealthy background) is not widely noted for his scholarship. However, an insightful Politico article mentions if he’s willing to listen, he is a ‘room reader’ Hoovering others’ ideas and making them his own - ammunition in his quest to play the ‘kibitzer’ to consummate effect (Kruse 10.20.19).Therefore, an area in which this book particularly excels is in promoting the idea of ‘sweat equity'. This may be possibly why if there is one area plundered for inspirational anecdotes more often than not, then it is the world of sports performance. Whereupon leadership types are couched in epithets to charisma, intelligence and energy, there is, for the most part - in Chris’s deconstruction of success - a far greater emphasis placed on “stamina, grit and humility” along with the ability to execute brilliantly, which substantially amounts to just one thing - plain effort. A pearl of the advice offered on ‘leadership impact’ is that too much time and money (particularly on consultants) are wasted to the ‘left of the x’ of the equation: change = (objectives + strategy + team + values + motivation) x (action). Important as these are, they will have a short-lived effect, and therefore, make any tangible difference without the ability to just “get stuff done.”On this point, in helping to understand the sheer feat of what is required in change momentum a metaphor of pulling a heavy concrete laden post out of the ground is described through a rather sketchy cone diagram: “At first its direction is not important, but then when moved out of its starting point the direction of travel becomes a priority.” Most leaders are not prepared for the initial ‘concrete breakout’ phase of a broken or toxic culture and do not adequately attend to the action ('squared' in terms of necessary effort) end of the equation. Thus planning one’s energy levels for the extended haul - called a “reverse marathon” - of a "lengthy and bumpy ride” becomes an evolving process. The leader is at their most valuable when engaged in knowing when and how to know to martial the requisite resources needed to smash the concrete, in particular at key strategic moments - a.k.a. the von Clausewitz concept of a schwerpunkt’ [German for ‘heavy point’].A major factor in practising ‘engagement’ (a term often glibly bandied about) is knowing the difference between shaping culture (as a super-weapon) versus fulfilling processes, with the former defined by the behaviour of ‘the management.”’ From personal experience, this point drove home the linear tick-box fulfilment exercises which poorly substitute for real leadership. This was notoriously evidenced in the Enron scandal; the company-paid lip service to its values of respect and integrity which were “proudly displayed in their lobby.”All this energy expiration means looking after one’s resources and to this end, there are valuable chapters on Energy and Resilience and Leading Yourself, which mostly boils down to ‘whatever floats your boat (as long as it's legal of course) keeps you buoyant.’ Leadership is finding time for recovery (body), the practice of will (mind) and the devotion of passion (heart) and “long term advantage is only possible if the culture allows sustainable high-performance of effort and attitude while releasing the pressure of what you can’t control.”Finally, the eight easy-to-read chapters, have a style reminiscent of certain 1930s Carnegie, which was also described at the time as an “action book with lay appeal.” It would further appear the trend to follow the marketing hyperbole of polymer glues and sealants for self-help books is truly well and alive! I am sure Leadership ‘Sticks like *you know what*’ is somewhere on the ideas boards of Havas Creative, who Chris is Global CEO.

5.0 out of 5 stars Basic management tools that work.

T.t.c. · 4 June 2024

This is a simple back to basics type book of management that has some great tips and accounts of using them in the work place. For anyone bogged down in BS and wanting to break free from it with their team, I would highly recommend this book.

5.0 out of 5 stars Straight forward, insightful teachings to apply to a business of any size to get fast results

K.E.T. · 2 July 2019

There are many books on the subject of leadership and I have read a multitude of those. For me this book is as it suggests a straight forward, clear and massively implementational approach to leadership. Within this book the author breaks down in simple terms aspects of leadership you can apply at each chapter and not have to wait till the end for the final “secret”. It is a quick and easy read backed up with relevant studies. The biggest thing for me was that the author is not someone who used to be a leader but someone who is applying their trade daily to running a global business. I have bought three copies of this book and gifted them to friends as I believe management and staff at all levels can benefit from its teachings.

3.0 out of 5 stars Good

D.M. · 23 November 2024

Good

5.0 out of 5 stars Intelligently written book relevant for different types of leaders

L.G. · 9 May 2019

This is a really useful and readable book that I've immediately found useful in assessing how I approach and run my own business (and life). Hirst rightly puts a lot of emphasis on culture, and how to create a happy and productive work environment. The author also stresses the need for leaders to be able to listen, 'walk the walk', and make sure they focus on their own personal development. There are some great references to other business (and literary) books which bring things to life, and I particularly like the key takeaways at the end of each chapter. A lot of business books keep repeating the same point, but this has more depth while at the same time being easily digestible.

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book I have read on Leadership

M.Y.L. · 4 June 2019

This is the best Leadership book I have read. Like the phrase "everyday Leaders" and what it means. The definition of leadership outlined in this book makes total sense yet very relatable. It is easy to read with a "down-to-earth" tone. Yet it is embedded with wisdom that would benefit many "everyday leaders" including me. There are framework and tips can be used to improve leadership skills and effectiveness. I would strongly recommend. In fact I have bought a few books for my friends and clients which I think would benefit from this book.

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow, so easy to digest and understand.

a.p. · 3 May 2019

Had this on audible book driving to and from work and have also purchased the hardcopy version and have read the first few chapters. What a great forwarding by Sir Clive Woodward...What really strikes me about this book, is in its purest sense it strips back all the nonsense (bullsh t) layers that you can get with some Management and Leadership books and cuts straight to the point (get stuff done!)Well done to the author and would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in “how to work better”!

Love it!

M. · 6 June 2022

Awesome book for business leaders

This is it.

A.M. · 7 October 2025

Good book. Purchased it after listening to the audio book to take further notes. Approach is great and I have shared this with many people.

Irreverent and highly actionable.

A. · 6 December 2019

So glad I ran into this book! Had to read and review a leadership book for an HR class and stumbled upon this gem in Blinkist. It is as the name implies- packed with useful, actionable information, and nothing more. Irreverent, anti- beaurocratic, funny, and gave me an excuse to curse in front of a bunch of HR students/professionals and get a lot of great laughs. Everyone asked me to see the book after class. Highly recommended!

GREAT READ

L.J.B. · 21 May 2020

Definitely an excellent book to get a grasp of what leadership is all about. I recommend it to anyone interested in leading